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After meeting and falling in love on a Venetian gondola ride, April Quinn and Angelino Sandri decided to bring that romantic experience to others with Gondola Servizio. Drawing from a mutual love for Venetian boating culture and history, they’ve assembled a staff of skilled gondoliers to lead intimate nautical cruises. On these excursions, personal gondoliers in traditional dress serenade passengers with lilting Italian melodies and half-remembered TV-sitcom themes. When not leading standard tours, gondoliers work with professional photographers to orchestrate on-water photo shoots.
Each gondola carries up to six passengers, and sandolos offer a smaller, though still traditional, boat alternative. Gondolas with felzes boast an on-deck cabin where guests sit sheltered from the elements on a love seat behind etched glass windows. A flexible schedule allows significant others to arrange lunchtime jaunts around Lake Merritt or romantic evening cruises beneath the moon’s jealous gaze. While on land, visitors can enter the Bottega Veneziana gift shop inside the Lake Chalet Seafood Bar & Grill, which abounds with locally handcrafted jewelry as well as imported shawls, Venetian chandeliers, and the fossilized remains of the first known cannoli.

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Tony Carr was something of a renaissance man, simultaneously holding degrees from UCLA and UC Irvine, working on a vaccine for Alzheimer's, and preparing for a sailboat race to Hawaii. His regatta ambitions, however, were unjustly cut short by a debilitating lower-spine injury. Despite this twist of fate, Tony persisted, and took up Bikram yoga at the Bikram Yoga College of India as just the latest endeavor of a man with diverse ambitions. Within one month, his symptoms had been alleviated, and within four months they had almost vanished completely.
Tony had found his new passion, and he immersed himself in it with enough enthusiasm to lose 30 pounds—the average British child's entire net worth—and transform his body in the process. He traveled to India and studied personally with Bikram Choudhury, the father of Bikram yoga. Tony became certified to teach in 1998. Now he leads classes at Bikram Yoga College of India, where he guides students through the 26 postures in the hopes that they, too, can transform their lives.

Owen Walker, the guru of the Action Theater method, and he is now one of the method’s six designated senior teachers.
The Action Theater method approaches physical improvisation and theater from three angles: language, voice, and movement. Classes give special attention to being fully present, connecting with a scene partner, and urging students to focus on how they do something, rather than what they do. The end result not only can transform a student’s performance on the stage, it can also enhance everyday skills such as empathy and spontaneity. Thus, though the technique is rooted in the theater, it can also benefit non-actors, much like a playhouse’s cell-phone-activated trap door.
Though Action Theater sometimes features a discounted price online, this Groupon still offers the best deal available

The staccato beat of conga drums rises over the deep voice of a bass guitar and the higher trills of the timbales and piano. Head dancer Evan Margolin and his bevy of experienced instructors lead students in classes that take beginners through basic footwork and salsa rhythms, with intermediate and advanced sessions offering salsa aficionados more challenging instruction. The social class structure—partners rotate throughout every session—creates a low-pressure learning environment and keeps dancers from scrambling to locate a partner or human-shaped tupperware container. The one-hour beginner classes are mostly filled with salsa novices and new dancers, and Dance SF's experienced and engaging local salsateers are patient and friendly when showing new students how to bust well-timed moves. During intermediate classes, which require six months or more of social dancing experience, students focus on timing and cross-body leads with turns. After some evening classes, new dancers are invited to join an all-night salsa party where they can put their new moves in practice. Students should wear comfortable clothing, which includes dancing shoes, but does not include rear-flapped onesie pajamas.

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Flying Yoga owner Laura Camp draws on her experience with contemporary dance, circus aerials, and various yoga modalities to create her studio’s curriculum, incorporating elements from a number of strength disciplines to ease students into a new practice or push seasoned exercisers to the next level. Laura cultivates a noncompetitive, judgment-free atmosphere where guests can feel comfortable trying their hands, arms, and legs at Ashtanga- and Vinyasa-style yoga poses, engaging Zumba dance steps, and muscle-sculpting body-weight exercises while hanging safely from a TRX suspension system.
Throughout each class, instructors encourage pupils to modify techniques or utilize the center's posture-aiding blocks and straps to accommodate physical limitations or injury. Inside the recently renovated and expanded studio, instructors keep students engaged in workout sessions by playing music during class or ratcheting the temperature up to 90 degrees, which helps to purge bodies of toxin-laden perspiration and parasitic ice sculptures.

Groupon Guide

This week, there’s a Litquake reading wherever you look, sand castles spring up on Ocean Beach, Oakland goes to the dogs, short horror films play at The New Parish, and Iliza Shlesinger performs at Cobb’s Comedy Club. As always, check Groupon for more great things to do in San Francisco.
Litquake
Multiple Locations | Saturday, October 11–Saturday, October 18
Litquake honors stories in every way possible: readings, workshops, and, of course, a closing pub crawl through the Mission District. This year’s calendar welcomes special guests such as Marc Maron and Piper Kerman, author of Orange Is the New Black. For a laugh, check out Wednesday’s “Readings from the Best-Ever Craigslist Postings.” (ticket prices vary; buy tickets here)
Leap’s 31st Annual Sandcastle Contest
Ocean Beach | Saturday, October 11
Each year, elementary-school students team up with local architects, engineers, and sponsors to build the most impressive sand castle on Ocean Beach, thereby raising funds for Leap's educational art programs. They’ll have four hours to sculpt and carve their creations to suit this year’s theme, “Food, Glorious Food!” (Balboa Street and Great Highway; free; buy tickets here)
Paws on the Square
Oakland | Wednesday, October 15
Paws on the Square gives pups and owners a chance to frolic on the Oakland waterfront. The month-long series, held each Wednesday in October, features canine massages, complimentary dog caricatures, and vendors of pooch-pampering goods. Even if you don’t have a four-legged friend, you can enjoy the fun solo or sign up to adopt a dog of your own. (Jack London Square and Broadway; free)
Scream 2014: East Bay Express’ Horror Film Festival
Oakland | Thursday, October 16
With Halloween on the horizon, East Bay Express and the Oakland Underground Film Festival have conspired to showcase more than 12 frightening indie shorts at The New Parish. The festival runs from 7 p.m. until midnight and also entertains guests with spooky-sexy burlesque performances. (579 18th St.; $10–$12; buy tickets here)
Iliza Shlesinger
Russian Hill | Friday, October 17
Iliza Shlesinger didn’t slow down after becoming the first woman to win NBC’s Last Comic Standing in 2008. Since then, she’s hosted a dating reality show, recorded a comedy album, and started a podcast, in addition to performing live. Catch her commentary about dating, television, and all else at Cobb’s Comedy Club on Friday. (915 Columbus Ave.; $22.50; buy tickets here, or save with a Groupon)
Image credits: Litquake images courtesy of Litquake, sand castle photo courtesy of Trevor Mattea, dog photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

This week: gourmet chocolate floods Ghirardelli Square, a kimchi expert teaches you to jar your own cabbage, a pop-up film festival screens nine shorts, the San Francisco Improv Fest enters its second week, and Disney’s leading ladies are on display. As always, check Groupon for more great things to do in San Francisco.
Ghirardelli Chocolate Festival
Russian Hill | Saturday, September 13, and Sunday, September 14
A ticket to the Ghirardelli Chocolate Festival doesn’t just get you in—it also gets you 15 gourmet chocolate tastings. More than 30 vendors will be offering their sweets to sample, and special events range from chef demonstrations to a messy sundae-eating contest. (Ghirardelli Square, 900 N. Point St.; $20–$40; buy tickets here)
Learn to Make Kimchi
SoMa | Saturday, September 13, and Thursday, September 18
Like your cabbage fermented? Ellen White, owner of Ellen’s Kimchi, will be hosting a class on making your own jar of this famed Korean food, complete with some decorative twine, a label, and a recipe you can use at home whenever that craving strikes. (739 Bryant St.; $50 with a Groupon; buy tickets here)
Future Shorts Film Festival
Nob Hill | Friday, September 19
Future Shorts, a pop-up film festival known for its mold-breaking short films, celebrates summer’s end with nine pieces at Firehouse 8. The films range from the bizarre music video for Bonobo’s “Cirrus” (shown above) to the locally made Typist, about a man and his typewriter navigating a technophile’s world. (1648 Pacific Ave.; $10; buy tickets here)
San Francisco Improv Fest
Financial District | Tuesday, September 16, to Saturday, September 20
The second week of the San Francisco Improv Fest kicks off with Speechless, a show that provides performers with a PowerPoint presentation that they’ve never seen before, and demands that they wow the audience. Also on the schedule: the all-women group Chick Flick, the guitar-toting duo Huge, and 30 Rock’s Scott Adsit. (215 Jackson St.; ticket prices vary based on the event; buy tickets here)
Leading Ladies and Femmes Fatales: The Art of Marc Davis
Presidio | Mondays, Wednesdays–Sundays through November 3
Animator Marc Davis was behind some of Disney’s most memorable women, including Tinkerbell, Maleficent, and Cruella de Vil. This exhibit at the Walt Disney Family Museum showcases these extraordinary ladies and the talent that brought them to life, displaying artwork from Davis’s personal collection in addition to other sources. (104 Montgomery St.; $12–$20; buy tickets here)
Image credits: Ghirardelli Chocolate Festival photo by James Hall Photography, Marc Davis photo courtesy of WDW News Today

San Francisco has an infinite supply of two things: tech startups and out-of-town guests. And if you work at one, you might not have time for the other. So, what do you do when visitors ask for recommendations? You could direct them to the Golden Gate Bridge (again) … or, you could check out these cliché-free suggestions. And, as always, check Groupon for more great things to do in San Francisco.
Beyond Canvas
Why take home a postcard when you can create your own painting of a San Francisco monument? With Beyond Canvas, out-of-towners can spend three hours plein-air painting at an iconic location in the city. They’ll capture some of the gorgeous San Francisco scenery while creating their own souvenir, all under the guidance of a pro. Plus, the materials are legit: students use French easels and specialized brushes.
SideTour
It’s hard to sum up SideTour—it encompasses everything from sailing on the bay to rolling your own sushi. The curated activities are presented by local artisans, chefs, winemakers, and more, so they’re a great way for sightseers to experience San Francisco as a diverse cultural powerhouse.
Cozymeal
If you work nights, and you don’t want to leave your guests fending for themselves at a restaurant, Cozymeal has you covered. Customers visit a local’s home—some hosts are professional chefs, others just like to cook and entertain—where they can break bread, share stories, and learn new cooking techniques themselves.
Nomaders
Nomaders are people who love San Francisco and want to share its secrets with others. They might take your guests out for a killer cup of coffee, a short hike, or drinks at a local speakeasy. Clients can propose ideas for excursions or take a suggestion from the service, but either way, they’ll know more about the city than they did before.
Images courtesy of Beyond Canvas and Nipkon Tran